US after changing perception through use of MOAB

The activities of the United States in Afghanistan are increasingly taking on new dimensions that expose the secrete goals of its military presence and materialize suspicions of its intentions in the war-stricken country. Late last week, the US used largest non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan’s east, which is dubbed by some people as a weapon of mass destruction. The bomb also known as the “mother of all bombs”, the GBU-43/B, was apparently dropped under the ploy of destroying the underground tunnel networks of Daesh terrorist group in Nangarhar’s Achin district.

The strike has provoked a public outcry in Afghanistan. Afghans have widely condemned the use of Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) on social media, TV and radio networks, accusing the United States of turning Afghanistan into advanced weapon testing laboratory besides a battleground. Though the incident drew strong reactions on the media, this was not the first time the US used such lethal weaponry in Afghanistan. The only difference this time was that the US intentionally campaigned for the attack because it had its certain goals of the use of MOAB.

The first goal of the United States of striking Daesh targets in Achin district and the hype surrounding the use of MOAB was to change the public’s perception of its link with Daesh. After the expansion of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization in Afghanistan and the attitudes of Afghan government and its western allies towards the terror outfit, the concerns that the group was a conspiracy to destabilize the region grew. Afghan and western officials repeatedly claimed that Daesh had been suppressed in Afghanistan; however, the ground realities were always different, and the group continued to expand its foothold in the country. The activities of Daesh worried regional powers, particularly Russia and China who even called the group a conspiracy against their interests. To change perceptions, the US deliberately struck Daesh targets in Achin and then campaigned for it. Another goal of US of the attack may be a muscle-flexing to frighten the regional powers, mostly likely Russia. The attack is also likely meant to send a message to North Korea.

Whatever the US intention may be, it can never be a part of the fight against terrorism. If bombs and continuous fighting could eliminate terrorism in Afghanistan, the country would have already been saved from its evil. The use of large bombs and continuation of fighting are only a repeat of what has already put Afghanistan at risk of turning into a terror haven.

One factor of the Afghan conflict is the Afghan government's failure to maintain a balance in its foreign policy. The imbalanced foreign policies of governments have paved the ground for Afghanistan to turn into a battlefield of proxy wars.